Players to Watch - Week 4

Eric Belanger (C) – Minnesota
Increased responsibility playing on the top 2 lines in Minnesota.

Dustin Penner (RW) – Edmonton
Coach Quinn seems to have found the right mix for him to reach his potential.

Matt Moulson (LW) – NY Islanders
Playing on the top line and getting a lot of opportunities.

Clarke McArthur (LW) – Buffalo
Scoring important goals and playing on the top 2 lines.

Matt Carle (D) – Philadelphia

Paired with Pronger on the powerplay, will get points from the highflying Flyers.

Week 3 Results

Patric Hornqvist (RW) – Nashville – 0G – 2A – 2PTS
Jordan Staal (C) – Pittsburgh – 1G – 0A – 1PTS
Daniel Cleary (LW) – Detroit – 0G – 1A – 1PTS
Ryan Malone (LW) – Tampa – 2G – 0A – 2PTS

Steve Bernier (RW) – Vancouver – 0G – 1A – 1PTS

Mark

Players to Watch - Week 2

Each week we will be highlighting a few players to keep an eye on during the scoring week. These players may be available via your waiver wire or available for a low price through a trade.

James Neal (LW) – Dallas

The talented winger scored 2 goals in his first game.

Dustin Byfuglien (RW) – Chicago

With Hossa injured, he has risen up the depth chart already.

Yannick Weber (D) – Montreal

The offensive d-man gets the call-up already.

David Moss (LW) – Calgary

Lining-up on the top line increases his value.

Mike Comrie (C) – Edmonton

Second line center on a motivated, youthful team.

Mark

Training Camp Notes: September 21st

Curtis Glencross (LW), CGY – Once cast-away from Edmonton, Glencross has finally found a home in Calgary. He tallied 1 goal and 3 helpers while playing on the top line last night. At this point the left-wing position on the top line in Calgary is not set as Glencross, Bourque and Dawes fight to play with Iginla and Jokinen. Keep an eye out for the winner.

Martin Havlat (RW), MIN – Havlat played in his first game as a member of the Wild and it couldn’t have been sweeter. Playing against a weaker Blackhawks pre-seaoson team, Havlat still scored 2 goals and led his team to a shutout victory. Havlat still possesses magnificent skills and will average a point per game.


Jordan Eberle (C), EDM – The energetic 19 year old has been playing lights out since the beginning of training camp. His smallish size has made him a speedy offensive weapon that fits the Edmonton style of play. Held pointless, he has been arguably one of the top Oilers thus far in camp, out-playing some of the ‘skilled’ veterans.

Calvin De Haan (D), NYI – One of the surprises of June's draft, the Isles picked De Haan much higher then many scouts anticipated. So far in training camp, De Haan has looked poised but still green around the collar. The young d-man is an offensive threat and will one day be a top guy on the Islanders blueline. Keep an eye on him in long term keeper leagues as he would be the perfect compliment to Streit on that powerplay.

Mark

Training Camp Notes: September 19

Atlanta – Zach Bogosian (D) – This sophomore is coming off a strong second half last season after he broke his leg earlier on in the season. An important piece of Atlanta’s future, Bogosian logged an enormous 31:16 minutes seeing time on the powerplay and in short-handed situations. This kid will be a monster this year.

Tampa – Victor Hedman (D) – The second overall draft pick skated in his second pre-season game. In his first 2 games in the NHL Hedman has averaged 27 minutes of ice-time and has played in all situations. He has not tallied a point yet, but that will come in time.

Detroit – Ville Leino (LW) – The talented Finn should be a lock this year with Detroit. The only question is which line will he play on? Leino had 2 assists last night in 15:56 minutes of ice-time and will only gain confidence the more he plays.

Colorado - Matt Duchene (C) – Hitting the score sheet last night, Duchene was arguably the best player on the Avalanche. Duchene scored 1 goal and assisted on another and played 3:11 on the powerplay. He is a bright spot on a rather dim Avalache team.

St. Louis – Erik Johnson (D) – His recovery has seemed to come full circle as Johnson played in his first game last night. With 1 assist, Johnson logged 20:06 minutes of ice-time, had 3 shots and was +2. Look for his minutes to increase once the season starts.

Edmonton – Mike Comrie (C) – What a home coming for Comrie. Feared that he would be booed once he stepped on the ice, fans were chanting Comrie’s name after his 4 assist night. His totals will come down to earth once the season starts but keep an eye on the waiver wire for him.

Anaheim – Luca Sbisa (D) – The young d-man was a part of the Pronger trade at the draft and is fighting for a spot with the Ducks. In 23:54 minutes of ice-time, Sbisa scored a goal, an assist, +2, 2 PIMs, and 2 shots on goal. He also played 4:51 minutes on the powerplay.

Vancounver – Henrik Sedin (C), Daniel Sedin (LW), Cody Hodgson (C), Sergei Shirokov (RW) – The Sedins continued their scoring by beating up the Sharks. Henrik had 2 goals and 2 assists in the game, while Daniel scored 1 goal and had 2 helpers. Hodgson also scored a goal and had 12 PIMs in only 7:22 minutes of ice-time. Shirokov played wing with the Sedins and helped his cause to stay with the Canucks by getting two assists. Keep an eye on him, if he makes the club he will be a sleeper in all drafts.

Mark

Northwest Division Sleepers

Calgary – Rene Bourque (LW) – Injuries hampered the speedy winger last season and held him to 58 games. With Cammalleri and Bertuzzi off to other teams, Bourque should now be the default winger on the top line. If Bourque can stay healthy and stays on the top line he will definitely surpass his 40 points from last year.

FEARLESS FORECAST – 70 GP – 26 G – 26 A – 52 PTS

Colorado – Kyle Quincey (D) – Another rookie that made an impact last year was Quincey. He was made expendable in Los Angeles this off-season because of their exceptional depth on defence. By moving to Colorado, Quincey will anchor the Avalanche powerplay and repeat his numbers in his sophomore season.

FEARLESS FORECAST – 75 GP – 6 G – 29 A – 35 PTS

Edmonton – Denis Grebeshkov (D) – The big Russian is another weapon on the Oilers already offensive blueline. A top four defenseman, Grebeshkov also helps out on the second powerplay unit as well. With 39 points in 72 games a repeat of his performance from last year is not out of the question.

FEARLESS FORCAST – 75 GP – 8 G – 34 A – 42 PTS

Minnesota – Marek Zidlicky (D) – Minnesota is stepping away from its defensive style of play and going offensive for the first time since coming into the league. Zidlicky is one player that will benefit from the changeover. Scoring 42 points in 76 games last season, a repeat in totals should be expected from the unknown defender.

FEARLESS FORECAST – 78 GP – 12 G – 31 A – 43 PTS

Vancouver – Alex Burrows (LW) – This hard-nosed and gritty winger not only can score goals but fights as well. He is the perfect compliment for the Sedins and their lack of physicality. Burrows scored 51 points last year and added 150 PIMs, a feat he will surely repeat this season.

FEARLESS FORECAST – 82 GP – 27 G – 26 A – 53 PTS

Mark

Mixed Bag of Defensive Signings

Matt Hunwick was called up due to injuries and never made it back down to the AHL. Hunwick has an offensive flare that allows him to play both wing and defence. In 53 games last season, Hunwick scored 27 points and was a +15. This Bruin made an impact on the team last year and should be considered in later rounds in all formats as a depth option.

Denis Grebeshkov made an impact on a young Oilers blueline last season. In his second full season in the NHL, Grebeshkov played in 72 games, adding 39 points. He is another excellent choice to draft in later rounds as he should put up similar totals to last year.

Jack Johnson’s season was cut short last year with a season ending shoulder injury. Appearing in 41 games, Johnson scored 11 points and had 46 PIMs. Johnson is a young defenceman that oozes with potential. He may not be an offensive powerhouse but his hitting ability will make him a late round draft choice.

Keith Yandle played in his first complete season last year and impressed the Coyotes coaching staff. Yandle is a young rear-guard that is offensively minded. In 69 games, Yandle scored 30 points, 12 of them were on the powerplay and took 118 shots. Yandle is another excellent sleeper pick in later rounds of your draft as he may break out with 40 points next season.

Shane O’Brien hits first and asks questions later. Not much of an offensive contributor, O’Brien is no stranger to the sin bin. In 76 games last year, O’Brien had 10 points and a whopping 196 PIMs making him a great selection in later rounds if your pool reward penalty minutes.

Mark

The Bulin Wall Goes North

The Edmonton Oilers have signed goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin to a 4 year, $15 Million dollar contract.

The ‘Bulin Wall’ finished last season with 25 wins, 8 losses and 3 shutouts, considered a very good campaigne by most. At 36 years old, Khabibulin has assured that he has job security for the next four years, and the Oilers are getting a very good goaltender in return.

Fantasy Outlook: Moving from the Blackhawks to the Oilers will put a dent in his fantasy value. The Oilers failed to address their lack of scoring, which decreases Khabibulin’s value based on wins and losses. Kabby will ultimately be the top guy in Edmonton for his tenure, and if Edmonton can create more of a goal scoring presence, his value will rise.

Mark